Of Gilded Cages and Inspired Freedom
by Regal Panther
Summary: No matter how fortunate she may seem to those on the outside, she was still a prisoner of her own family. A gilded cage is still a prison. –Side-fic to TNRII. A bit of Laurelin's past and her side of the story.


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Some things from Laurelin's point of view. I got bored and decided to give her a voice! It's kind of a sid-fic to The New Recruit III, which will be coming soon. Remember, I need to know your questions to answer them!

~Panther-chan

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Laurelin, at birth, was exceptionally weak – in both mind and spirit. She wasn't a born fighter, nor was she a born leader. But, as she aged, it became clear that she was a prodigy. Her mind was advanced well beyond standards considered human, and by the age of 12, she was fluent in seven languages and no one could teach her something she didn't know.

She wasn't one to brag, however. Her parents raised her very carefully. She learned to hide her talents, to be meek and cautious, and to blend into the background: to be a wallflower in every public function, and to make room for her amazing older sister. She would, in time, grow into her own person and make her own decisions, but for the first years of her life, she was a sideshow to her sister, the one who would inherit the company.

She was the genius of the family, and though her body was weak, she more than made up for it in her delicate mannerisms and her strategic, analytical mind. Nothing could get past her, and she soon realized that she wouldn't be receiving anything from her parents because her sister was preferred by their sponsoring Mafia Family – the one pulling all the strings.

Her Will grew strong, and eventually, she started to see things differently. Instead of seeing her sister as superior, she saw her as a pathetic example of a sycophant. The woman had no pride, no self-respect, and whored herself to Whistell's upper echelon, merely to secure a position as a placebo.

She learned the truth behind her family and its corporation. It was simply a front for organized crime. Crime that would hurt innocent people and bring those on the street into contact with those on the thrones of Bosses.

When she was 16, she decided that, finally, she had had enough. No longer would she bow down to make room for an inferior mind. No longer would she be considered a burden.

She ran. She lived on the streets for nearly half a year, and almost died from lack of her medication. Then, Acer found her. She helped her realize that innocence was just another way to say ignorance, and the moment she returned home, she studied. She learned and she watched the workings of a powerful Mafia Family: she watched and waited, and learned everything she would need to repay Acer. She wanted to know everything she could, for knowledge is power, and power is important in the world of humans.

_Acer – her savior, and the only person to whom she would ever bow her head – brought her to her own home and unwittingly gave her another option: join Vongola. Join Acer as a Mafioso, and use her mind the way she was meant to use it. She could save lives, simply by thinking things through._

_But, she wasn't yet aware of the things happening around Acer, nor to the things happening to the woman. She was still innocent, and she understood, now, that Acer did not want to be the one to take her blood innocence. The woman was still human underneath her shield of Ice, and Laurelin understood that now as she watched her work. She was a Mafioso, yes, but not by choice. She had been forced into a hard life, one she never wanted, and she had made the best of her situation. Acer had even found love._

_She had used her Will and her mind to create her own place in the Varia, and through them, Vongola. Entire families acknowledged her as a savior, one who could be depended upon, and called upon her for help._

_She had refused to bow to the Ninth, one of the most powerful men on Earth, and instead had placed herself into the Varia. Acer had used her brilliant, strategic mind and her powerful, independent Will to forge a path of her own. And, in doing so, she saved Laurelin from being controlled, from being belittled, and from being imprisoned within a gilded cage._

_Laurelin would do anything to repay her. Not only had Acer saved her, she hadn't demanded anything in return, had outright refused to accept payment. She had ignored the debt to try and give Laurelin a normal life, one without violence, death, and danger lurking around every corner._

_Acer was her hero, her idol, and her savior. She was strength and freedom and everything a hero should be. She was courageous and smart, and loved those precious to her without restraint._

_She was her Boss, her never-ending Sky, and the horizon hid many dangers from her sight. Laurelin would take her burdens upon herself, as Acer did for so many others, and support her as best she could._

_She was stronger now than ever before. Her bones and muscles were as they should be, and her mind missed no detail and could calculate strategic possibilities faster than any computer. She would use her natural gifts to support and protect Acer, her Sky._

_But first, she would have to find her. If the woman visiting her today had anything to do with Acer, she'd be gone before her father could blink._

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TNRIII is nearly done! So, get your questions in now. Seriously, if I left any loose ends in TNRII, I would like to know.

Anyway, this is a bit of a preview for TNRIII. It's a bit of the past for a certain character.

~Panther-chan


End file.
